The first draft of my research, teaching, and reading

Posted: January 26, 2015| Author:Gurpreet Singh|Filed under:conferences, News|Leave a comment »
Panel on Digital Cultural Heritage (DigiCulthH – a GRAND subgroup) has been accepted at CSDH/SCHN -ACH joint conference to be held in Ottawa, 1 -3 June, 2015. The panel members include: Prof. Daniel O’Donnell, University of Lethbridge Prof. Brent Nelson, University of Saskatchewan Dr. Craig Harkema, University of Saskatchewan Congratulations to all at VC and […]

The law

A little more than a decade ago, when I was working on my “electronic edition” of Cædmon’s Hymn, I developed a formulation that I have since come (only semi-jokingly) to consider something of a law about the use of computing in the Humanities:

The application of computation to humanities problems inevitably requires an examination of first principles.

What I mean by this is that you can never just copy a technique from the pre-digital humanities into the digital space. If you try, you will inevitably find yourself thinking before long about fundamental questions of why, what, and how: why you want to do whatever it is you are doing, what it actually is that you are trying to accomplish, and how the thing you are trying to accomplish actually does what it is you think it does.

Contents

Posted: January 14, 2015| Author:daniel.odonnell|Filed under:News|Leave a comment »
Project Co-Investigator James Graham and his research team have just released some demo screenshots from their Unreal-engine reconstruction of the Ruthwell Kirk Here are some highlights:

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Instructions

Read J. A. Burrow, Medieval writers and their work: Middle English literature and its background 1100-1500 and write a brief essay discussing some aspect of high Medieval English life, art, or culture that intrigues you. This might involve

something that you already knew something about but have a deeper knowledge of after reading Burrow’s book

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How to make posters

Although students make posters throughout Grade School, Middle School, and High School, research posters of the kind used at University are slightly different in format and design. Read the rest of this entry »

In many of my courses you will be expected to maintain a blog. Postings will be required from you most weeks. And every so often you may be asked to review and/or comment on your blog postings and those of your class mates.

The following are some general notes on how I use blogs in my classes and what you will be expected to do. These notes are to be read on conjunction with the class syllabus, which may include additional instructions, rules, expectations, or limitations.

English 3401 introduces students to the study of Middle English literature (i.e. literature from roughly the twelfth through the end of the fifteenth centuries). The course is a companion to English 3601 Chaucer, and so this course concentrates on literature by authors other than Chaucer.

Assignments are due at the date and time specified on the syllabus or discussed in class (Not attending class is not an excuse for failing to keep up to date on due dates). Unless I specifically note otherwise, however, you can almost always take a few extra hours without asking permission.

If you need a long extension than this, you should ask. As long as I haven’t started marking the exercise, I am usually fine with granting extensions. I am less able to accommodate extensions after I have begun marking the assignment.

If you are sick, have a family emergency, or face some other crisis, I am almost always willing to grant an extension. While I prefer to know in advance, I can accept retroactive requests when the nature of the emergency requires it. I do not normally need a doctor’s note or other evidence, though I reserve the right to ask. Read the rest of this entry »

About Daniel Paul O’Donnell

I am a Professor of English at the University of Lethbridge, where I teach and conduct research in the Digital Humanities, Digital Cultural Heritage, English Philology, and Book History. You can read more about me by following this link.

My university site (which contains syllabi and the like) can be found by following this link. Most of the non-course related material from that site can be found here.